Interaction with a Health Care Professional Influences Change in Physical Activity Behaviors Among Individuals with a Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in exercise behavior of individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI) after interacting with knowledgeable health care professionals and receiving a tailored home program of physical activity. Methods: Participants (N = 21) consisted of adults with a documented SCI and functional use of both upper extremities. To qualify for inclusion in the study, participants also had to be unable to engage in walking for physical activity and be sedentary, that is, not having engaged in an exercise program for the 6 months prior to their enrollment in the study. For the present study, a walking limitation was presumed to exist if an individual was unable to complete a 3-stairstep test and/or a 0.05-mile (264 feet) walk test with or without assistive devices. Each was randomly assigned to 1 of 2 intervention groups. Data were collected by 4 separate assessments occurring at 3-month intervals. The participants documented their participation via self-report, and each individual’s readiness to change his/her physical activity behaviors was evaluated via responses to a questionnaire based on the 5 stages in the transtheoretical model of health behavior change. Results: Results indicated that participants’ number of physical activity minutes per week in both intervention groups increased from a mean of 36.3 minutes/week to a mean of 127.4 minutes/week, with a participant adherence rate of 87.5%. At the conclusion of the study, 70% of the participants in each intervention group had moved to stage of change 5 (maintenance) of the transtheoretical model. Furthermore, the provision of a home exercise program via brochure and DVD/videotape was associated with positive behavior changes related to physical activity. Conclusions: Implications of the study suggest that home programs in which knowledgeable health care professional encouragement is provided may have a positive impact on readiness to change exercise behaviors and actual participation in physical activity by persons with an SCI.